The Next Step
by irish4luck
Summary: What happens after the latest episode? Can Beckett and Castle finally agree to take the next step? First attempt at FanFic, so give me advice!  Sorry its not a better summary, but that is as far as I've gotten with the story line. Spoiler alert for 3x16.
1. Chapter 1

This is my first attempt at FanFic, so be gentle with me. LOL I don't have a Beta, so all mistakes are my own.

Enjoy and please review.

*Ashlee*

P.S. - I'm probably going to end up being a slow updater, but I will try to get things up a.s.a.p. :)\

P.P.S. - I don't own Castle or any of the characters, if I did... well, you know.

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_The Next Step_

Chapter 1

Beckett sat unmoving at her desk in the bull-pin, her eyes locked on the man who just walked off of the elevator.

He came bearing coffee in the traditional paper cup, but something was different today. His purple shirt and dark suit looked impeccable as usual, but still, something seemed off somehow.

"Hmm?" she pondered under her breath.

"What was that?" Castle inquired as he approached her desk.

"Absolutely nothing. What brings you here this morning Castle? Just couldn't stay away huh?"

"Yep, that's it exactly. I couldn't with-stand you magnetic presence. Just had to see you."

Beckett gave him an eye roll and returned her gaze to the report on her computer screen.

Castle plopped down into his chair by her desk and began the usual "stare session".

"Would you stop that!"

"What!" Castle exclaimed looking around him as though he wasn't doing anything wrong.

"Stop staring at me!"

"Beckett, we go through this all the time. I stare. You yell. I continue to stare. The sooner you except this and move on the better," he said.

She shook her head and again tried to return the report she had been working on. Castle, smiling to himself, settled into his chair, and broke out his phone to begin his Monday morning routine.

He looked at Beckett without turning his head. He loved observing her, he thought to himself.

Though they didn't have a case this morning, he couldn't stay away from the precinct. Somewhere along the way, in the last three years, he had fallen head over heels in love with her. This realization had hit him over the weekend like a Mack truck.

They had crossed a line in their relationship, not just a physical line (the doozey that it was), but an emotional line. When she had proclaimed him someone she trusted in the cafe, his heart had leaped in his chest.

Her mother's killer had kept them insanely busy that week, but when he finally got some down time, he had focused on the events and realized how much her trust had meant to him.

Their partnership, and that is truly what it was now, he was her partner in every way spare the badge, had finally evolved. She was letting him in, and he couldn't be more excited.

"Castle… Castle. Rick!"

"Hmm?"

Castle looked up from his thoughts to find Kate's face only inches from his own.

"Are you okay?"

She looked at him curiously, still wondering what was different about him today.

"Oh. Uhm. Yeah, I'm fine. What did you need?"

"We've got a body."

On the way to the crime scene, Kate observed Castle, still trying to put her finger on the change. He sat in his seat and stared out the window, idly lost in thought as he had been earlier back at the station.

She rarely let herself stare at him with such blatant appreciation, and only did so now because he was lost in a world all his own. She wondered what had him so distracted, and then blushed when she considered the possibilities.

Beckett had purposely avoided talking about that night in the alley and to her surprise; Castle had up to this points let it go. To her surprise, that thought saddened her. His usual barbs would have no doubt made it harder to ignore, but she was suddenly wondering if she wanted to ignore this most recent development in their partnership.

A realization washed over her at this thought. Nothing had changed about Castle; she was only finally seeing him in a complete light. She had let him in, and the thought scared the shit out of her.

He had truly demonstrated his loyalty through his help on her mother's case and she could finally trust him completely.

On top of all of his attractive qualities, this trust, this dependability, sealed the deal for her and she wasn't sure how on earth she would resist him now.


	2. Chapter 2

Any mistakes (with grammar, show specs, or the victims) are all on me. Still don't own Castle but have fun thinking of things I could do with him if I did.

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Chapter 2

Upon arrival at the scene, things proceeded as usual. Ryan and Esposito were in chipper spirits after having taken a long weekend to recover from their cold baths.

"Beckett. Castle. Top of the morning to ya!" Detective Ryan greeted them with a camera in his hands.

"Ryan, feeling better apparently," Kate grinned. She was proud of her boys. After what they had gone through because of her, she had a new respect for these two and their partnership.

"Absolutely!"

"All right, what've we got?"

"Garbage man found the victims in a dumpster at around noon. This dumpster was supposed to be replaced with a new one, so they just switched them off of a truck. They don't usually empty them until they get them back to the warehouse. When they discovered the body…"

"Bodies," Castle corrected automatically.

"Nope," said Ryan, "I was getting to that. Will you just listen. Anyway, they called us and we had them bring the thing back. Figured you'd want it where it was to begin with."

Castle, his curiosity peaked, interrupted again.

"Come on already. You said 'victims,' but they only found one body?"

"Patience is a virtue man," said Esposito as he walked away from the body and the stunning Dr. Parish.

"The victims were conjoined twins."

Castle's eyes lit up at the sudden twist in the "story line."

"You're kidding me."

"Nope. Alyssa and Anna Spencer. Born October 24, 1988. Originally from Missouri, moved here about 2 months ago," said Esposito, reading from his notepad.

"No cash in their wallet, credit cards and id were intact," Ryan continued.

"You guys take their apartment and neighbors. Castle and I will stay here while they process the alley and garbage."

Ry and Espo nodded and took off toward their squad car.

"My turn now?" questioned Lani, who was squatting off to the side of the dumpster at the end of the alley.

"Yes, you're up," said Kate as the partners made their way over to the container in question.

"This is a first for me," Lani admitted, "and that is rare. There are few things that I haven't seen."

"What can you tell us?"

"There are ligature marks on their wrists and judging by lividity, they've been dead less than 12 hours. Unfortunately, that's all I've got. I'll know more when I get them back to autopsy."

"Kay, Lani. Thanks."

"No problem."

As they turned away, Kate looked toward Castle and questioned him.

"Are you okay. I've never seen you this quiet before."

"I'm sorry. No, I'm fine. I've just had something on my mind recently and been thinking about it a lot. I'm a little distracted."

"Care to share?" Beckett asked with a curious look on her face.

He looked at her for a moment, determining whether to tell her or not. He looked into her eyes, and decided to go for it. The only way this thing was going to go anywhere was if they were completely honest with each other.

Castle smiled at her and she saw that ever familiar twinkle in his eyes.

"You," he said simply.

She sucked in a breath at his strait forward answer, and watched as he turned and strode smoothly back down the alley to their waiting car.

Behind them Lani smiled to herself, hoping that these two would finally see what everyone else did.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Beckett dropped Castle at home, according to him; he had to do some "research." She had a sneaking suspicion he was letting her be alone for a while to process the events of earlier in the day. She was surprised at his sudden sensitivity but, was grateful non-the-less.

"You." He had said.

_Wow. _

_How was she supposed to respond to that, _she pondered all the way back to the precinct? Did he really say that, or was it merely wishful thinking on her part? She hadn't been getting a lot of sleep lately, so it was entirely possible that her over active imagination had created the entire thing.

_No_ she thought. If it were up to her imagination, Castle would have no doubt been shirtless, as he usually appeared in her fantasies. She shook her head at that last thought. So now, as if it wasn't bad enough that she was losing sleep fanaticizing about him at night, she was having a hard time separating fiction from reality during the day as well.

She had broken up with Josh through a late night phone call on the night they had wrapped up this latest segment of her mother's case. After what she had felt while "kissing" Castle in the alley, she knew that she couldn't possibly continue to seeing him. He had been disappointed, but had admitted before she hung up that he had been sleeping with his head surgical nurse anyway and didn't "need" her anymore. That was pretty much the icing on the cake that week. The only consoling factor had been her quickly dissipating guilt she had felt for a second before calling Josh. His "news" took a load off her shoulders.

The only thing left for her to consider that night was her unexpected feelings incited by Castle's kiss. Through what Castle might describe in his books as "soul searching," Kate concluded that it was time to give this relationship a shot. He was already her partner and best friend. Hell, they might as well be married, according to the guys at work, because of all of the squabbling they did. When she had heard that latest piece of gossip, she only rolled her eyes, silently wishing for the benefits that would come with a marriage.

She wanted to be a more permanent part of his life. Not just hanging on by the threads and silently wishing that he wouldn't wake up one day and decide her series was done and that it was time for him to move on. She certainly wouldn't be throwing herself at him, but maybe she would stop resisting as much.

_/\CASTLE_/\_CASTLE_/\_CASTLE_/\_CASTLE_/\

Ryan and Esposito returned later that morning with information about the girls' life in New York. Together the team started to compose the murder board, only to be interrupted later by Castle's return. He came bearing a tower of gifts: pizza from around the corner, a stack of computer paper, and coffee. Beckett immediately noticed the single full length white daisy precariously perched in the breast pocket of his suit jacket.

"For me?" exclaimed Esposito walking toward the burdened man.

Castle trotted through the door under his somewhat lopsided stack, extending his arms with the load toward the approaching Javier. Esposito, however, had other plans and bee-lined to the flower in Castle's jacket pocket. He rolled his eyes, but was unable to stop the theft, what with his arms so full.

"Not for you!" Castle responded adamantly.

He hadn't meant to make such a big deal out of the small gift. The flower was the only one to survive in a bucket on a stand by the pizza shop where he had secured lunch. He was amazed how this small flower could be flourishing in the midst of the coldest New York winter on record in recent history. His writer mind drew parallels to the way the flower withstood the cold with the way Beckett continued to bloom under the pressures of this job. She had a gift, and he was only trying to do something to show her that someone did care. Of course, now the boys were going to make a big deal about it, and would probably end up embarrassing her.

His eyes met hers. She stood poised at the white board while he watched the emotions play across her face. He loved it when she let him see her feel. Upon the realization that the flower was meant for her, she grinned like a kid on Christmas. That grin, that he hoped he remembered forever, was quickly replaced by a glare meant to shoot daggers, or in her case, .45 millimeter bullets. He saw her face redden as she quickly redirected her gaze and her body back toward the board.

Deciding he valued his life, he quickly took the offending object from Esposito's hands and ran into Capt. Montgomery's open office door. With a flourish and a puzzled look from Montgomery, Castle put the flower on his desk and exited the office.

Esposito raised an eyebrow, followed by both of Ryan's.

"It's Mrs. Montgomery's birthday! What did you get her?" Castle explained, as if everyone should have known.

"Sure it is," said Ryan, before he dug into his personal pan pizza.

Castle chanced a glance at Beckett and was relieved to see that her face had returned to its normal color, and that she was smiling slightly. They shared the glance, and Castle hoped that Kate read what he had meant to say with the small token, in his eyes. She nodded slightly, but was interrupted by her ringing desk phone.

"Got it," Kate said shortly into the phone, all kidding aside. She returned the phone to its cradle and turned to her team, currently stuffing themselves.

"We've got another body," she said curiously, while at the same time grabbing her jacket.

_Cue CASTLE Intro_

**_Ba-Da -Daa -Dea-De-Dum_**


	4. Chapter 4

Hey all,

This is a short chapter, but I wanted to get something up. I've been super busy with school, but I use this a stress relief, so hopefully I'll have a lot of ideas.

Ashlee

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Chapter 4

Castle and Beckett met Ryan and Esposito in Central Park. The park was pretty much deserted due to the cold weather. It was snowing… again. They were met by a uniform on the outskirts of the nature trail. About half a mile into the dense tree cover, they came across the body, the boys, and Lani.

"I think we're gonna need another white board," Castle commented from his position next to Beckett.

"Name's Daniel Bakster, 25, a photographer from LA, according to the neighbor," Ryan informed them.

Kate stared at the second body in utter disbelief. She was looking at a short person.

"Are you kidding me?" she addressed to no one in particular.

"I'm going to call this an anomaly," said Castle, looking onto the scene in amusement.

"Ya think. What are the freakin' odds?" Kate asked.

Lani looked up into Kate's disbelieving gaze, shaking her head.

"Achondroplasia."

"Bless you." Castle commented.

"No. That's the medical term for dwarfism. As far as I can tell he's been here longer than your other victims, I'm guessing closer to 24 hours."

"Thanks, Lan. Any luck with our other victims?"

"Haven't had a chance yet, I'll start their autopsy when I get back," she said when she turned to head back down the path, followed by her autopsy gremlins with the body.

Castle perused the scene. If anything was out of place, you couldn't tell. Looked like your standard trail. Brown leaves, dead sticks, lots of snow. Nothing to get prints from, he noticed. He wandered a little further the thicket and noticed a boot print and said so much to Esposito.

"How in the hell am I supposed to make a cast out of snow? I hate this weather. Why isn't CSU handling this?

Kate, hearing the question, responded, "Take a picture and then you'll have to make a visual match, stop complaining CSU's short because of the flu that's been going around. Trust me; you don't want someone with that spreading it, do you?"

"That sounds long and yucky," Ryan commented after a short slap on Espo's back.

"You and Ryan finish processing what you can of the scene. Castle and I will head back to the station to set up the second murder board and start establishing a time-line."

"Sure, Boss," they replied in unison.

She turned to walk back down the wooded path meeting Castle to begin the short trek back.

"That was a nice find back there."

"Just trying to be helpful," he replied, thrusting his hands deep in his pockets.

"You're always helpful," she said almost sheepishly.

"I'd like that in writing," he retorted.

She just smirked and shook her head at him. She poked her hand through his bent arm and leaned into him. He looked at her in surprise.

"It's cold," she commented keeping her head down, ignoring his gaze.

He only smiled in response.


	5. Chapter 5

Okey Dokey. I find myself apologizing for what was the crap of the last chapter with a promise that this one is loads better. Still short, but fun and what I hope is more complete and detailed. Without further ado... on to the show.

Ashlee

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Chapter 5

Back at the precinct, everyone was winding down for the day. Kate wanted to continue on the case, but due to Castle's insistence, was shutting down her computer, and getting ready to head home. It had been a long day, with not just one, but two bodies, and she knew everyone would need a full night's sleep for tomorrow, when the real work began. She waved goodbye when Esposito and Ryan waved from the elevator, and then turned her gaze to Castle who was still holding down "his" chair.

He looked up at her in the next moment and started to speak.

"What would you say to dinner at Casa de la Castle, where I know a very excited kid who would love for you to join us?"

"I don't know Castle, I was really looking forward to a book, a glass of wine, and a tub full of warm water," she replied.

"Well, if you insist, I would love to help you with those after dinner," he responded mischievously with a knowing smile on his face.

"Alone! Castle."

"Now, where's the fun in that?" he said smiling.

Oh how he did love to tease her, especially after knowing that she had to be affected as he was too. There was no way she had kissed him back without feeling anything.

"Come on, Alexis will be there to chaperone. You have nothing to fear."

"You don't scare me Castle."

"No, but the feelings do, Detective Beckett."

The look in her eyes let him know he was way too close to the truth for her comfort. He broke the serious moment with a smile and a tug on her sleeve.

"C'mon, free dinner and great conversation."

She reluctantly grabbed her purse and jacket, and headed toward the elevator with Castle, not really sure what she had gotten herself into.

_/\CASTLE_/\_CASTLE_/\_CASTLE_/\_CASTLE_/\_CASTLE_/\_ CASTLE_/\_CASTLE_/\_CASTLE_/\_CASTLE_/\_CASTLE_/\_CASTLE_/\

Beckett parked in the lot adjacent to Castle's building and they trekked through the snow to the lobby. The ride in the elevator was quiet. Castle unlocked his door and stepped back to allow her entrance first.

_Always the gentleman,_ she thought smiling.

She saw Alexis in the kitchen leaning over the stove in his kitchen. She turned when she heard them and smiled at the nice surprise.

"Detective Beckett, I didn't know you were going to be here. Cool, maybe dad will behave at the dinner table and not play with his food."

Kate laughed and turned to look at Castle.

"I thought you said she knew about this and was excited that I was coming to dinner."

"I actually said that I knew of a kid who would be excited to have you over… I was talking about me."

Kate rolled her eyes as Castle took her coat and purse to put in a hall closet.

"Hey Alexis, how's school been going?" Kate asked when she joined the young girl in the kitchen.

"It's been kind of boring. I can't wait to graduate. Everything just goes so slow. I'm not sure why though."

Kate smiled, knowing the feeling all too well.

"Ahh. Senioritous. No sweat. Every single kid, who has ever had a senior year, has been through what you are right now. You just have to hang in there and keep thinking that it will all be over soon."

Castle watched the interaction from a bar stool at the buffet, smiling to himself at the scene. Kate worked smoothly around Alexis as they worked together to put the finishing touches on dinner. He loved the fact that the two most important women in his life, save his mother, got along so well.

Castle went to the fridge to retrieve a bottle of wine for the meal. He poured two glasses as the girls set the table and assembled the food.

He carefully handed a glass to Kate when she came back into the kitchen to make sure they had everything for the table.

"This is only part of what you were hoping for, but it will have to do until Alexis turns in for the night."

He walked out of the kitchen, leaving a speechless Kate in his wake.

_What was he up to?_


	6. Chapter 6

Still don't own them. (Forgot to mention that before.) :)

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Chapter 6

Much to Kate's chagrin, Alexis turned in early, claiming a big history test tomorrow. Although, she had a sneaking suspicion the girl was trying to play match maker.

She settled on the couch with Castle and another glass of wine. He was flipping channels at the speed of light, finally stopping on one featuring the weather.

She shifted her eyes from his face to the screen and cringed at what she saw on the outline of New York.

"Looks like you're not going anywhere," Castle said with a smirk.

"I'll be fine," she insisted, setting her partial glass on the coffee table and rising.

"Kate, you are not going out in that storm. It's a death wish."

"Who's going to stop me?"

She knew it was childish, but she couldn't help baiting him. She really did need to get home.

"While that prospect does sound like fun, I think I'll just appeal to your sense of reason. Think about it, we have a guest room, a ji-normous bathtub, and you are closer the station here than you would be at your apartment. If the storm does turn out to be as big as they say, you'll have a better chance of being able to get to work."

_That was sneaky of him_, she thought, _using her dedication to her job as a reason to stay_.

She set her coat down and returned to the couch. She slid her shoes off and relaxed into the fluffy seat.

"Does Alexis really have a history test tomorrow?" Kate asked truly curious about the girl's absence.

"This is the first I've heard of it," Castle replied smiling, "but wouldn't be a shame if her good intentions were a waste?"

He slid down, closer to her end of the couch.

"Am I going to have to fend off your advances all night?"

"Only if you want to. I think we'd both enjoy it a whole lot more if you didn't," he said with a grin.

Kate rolled her eyes, but didn't move from the now close confines of the couch. She was enjoying his close proximity. Leaning infinitesimally closer, she inhaled his scent and closed her eyes enjoying it more than she should. Her head, of its own accord, came to rest in the crook of his shoulder and before she knew it, her nose was buried in his neck.

Castle looked down at her. Her eyes were closed and she had a small contented smile on her face. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and flipped off the TV with his other hand. They sat, quietly in the dark with only a nightlight in the kitchen and the city lights under snow illuminating their faces.

Kate, having drifted off, shifted closer into Castle's side, and curled her free arm across his waste. He enveloped her in a hug and smiled into the darkness, wishing that he could take this so much further. Her warm body and cherry scent were doing unimaginable things to his body.

He untangled himself from her arms and bent to pick her up off of the couch. Every the cop, she stirred and looked at him when he had successfully righted them.

"What are you doing?" she asked, her brow slightly furrowed, in both sleep and question.

"Taking you to bed."

She thought about that for a minute, while Castle regretted his words. That wasn't what he meant, and he knew she would take it the wrong way. He walked toward his master suit on the main floor.

"Okay," she said matter of factly, "can we take a shower first?"

Castle almost dropped her when he heard her reply. He nudged open his bedroom door and placing Kate on his bed, knelt in front of her.

"Kate, do you realize what you just said?"

She opened her eyes all of the way, having finally regained full consciousness. She looked into his glimmering and hopeful eyes and smiled. She was so sick of fighting this attraction.

"Rick, I want to make love with you. I'm sick of fighting it. I want you to love me."

"God, woman. You have no idea what you do to me," he replied grabbing the hands that were resting in her lap.

"You know that that is what this will be, right? Making love. I love you Katherine Beckett, so very much."

She smiled down at him and felt a tear run down her cheek. God she felt like a dork, sitting here listening to vows of love. But, oh how she loved him, and his admittance of the same sent so much joy through her she felt like she couldn't breathe.

"I love you too," she replied, and pulled him into a hug, grinning from ear to ear.

Castle retreated from their embrace and pulled her from the bed toward the bathroom.

Castle spun Kate into his arms and his waiting kiss when they felt the cool tiles on their feet. He grinned into her mouth as he felt her tongue tentatively touch his lips. He opened to her and they dueled in an age old rhythm. She pulled back, taking his lower lip with her, releasing it with a pop. She smiled and reached for the buttons on his shirt, starting at the bottom and working her way up. He stood their patiently letting her enjoy the anticipation. She reached the top and spread the shirt, finally feasting her eyes on his rock hard chest. She never would have guested that Mr. Richard Castle took this good a care of himself. He didn't get these kind of muscles sitting in his office, she thought.

He saw the look on her face a smiled, feeling the need to explain, "Ryan and Esposito invited me to work out with them in the gym at the precinct, and I took them up on their offer."

She looked him up and down and tucked her lower lip under her teeth.

"Remind me to thank them later," she said, again reaching for him, this time moving for his belt buckle.

"I'm glad you appreciate my efforts Detective Beckett," he replied, while moving his hands down to help her in her mission.

She made quick work of his belt, snap, and zipper, but her hands were shoved away as she went to reach inside. Kate frowned as he halted her progress.

"I think one of us is a little over dressed, don't you think?"

She looked up from her task with a frown, and upon realizing his meaning reached for her own button down. He waved away her hands and began slowly as if unwrapping a present.


End file.
